Summary
Lucca’s World delivers a raw and emotional true-story portrayal of parenting a child with cerebral palsy, anchored by powerful performances despite its unremarkable storytelling.
Lucca’s World is based on a true story derived from the autobiographical book, “The Two Hemispheres of Lucca,” by Bárbara Anderson (the writer of his film, alongside her husband, Javier Peñalosa). It tells the story of Anderson’s son, Lucca, who has the chronic illness of cerebral palsy. Her family takes a challenging trip to India to explore experimental treatments for Lucca’s condition.
If the mission of Lucca’s World is to shine a glaring light on the intense struggles of parenting a child with a chronic illness and extreme disabilities, then the objective has succeeded. And with that comes a warning: this film, for all the hope instilled in it, is still an emotional journey. Director Mariana Chenillo made sure of that.
The film begins by alluding to the true story aspect, saying, “The audiovisual work is based on facts narrated in the book,” but then states that some names have been changed and events altered. The movie deals with medical science, a challenging, litigious subject for narrative media.
But you can tell this is as close to Bárbara’s experiences as possible, considering the Argentinian journalist is writing about it. It’s a sobering, realistic, and honest account. Bárbara Mori and Juan Pablo Medina (The House of Flowers; Ready to Mingle; Bandidos) play the parents, and there is no sugarcoating the darkness created in marriage that comes with a disabled child.
I am glad this autobiographical movie is honest. If Lucca’s World claimed it was a true story, but the parents smooth-sailed to the conclusion, I’d have been tempted to question the eyewitness account. Parents with non-disabled and minded children understand, too. The experiences detailed in this film would challenge any family, no matter their moral center, kindness, or determination.
That’s why I admired this film. It’s not groundbreaking in direction or storytelling, but its raw honesty makes it a winner. Witnessing Bárbara and Andrés balance risk and care gives me a measure of understanding. Evolution in medical science is expensive and debt-inducing.
How does any couple weigh the pros and cons of keeping their family secure or embarking on a costly journey to India to trial an unknown medical method, Cytotron, which the FDA recognized as a Breakthrough Device for cancer treatments in 2019 and is now under development?
And I think that’s what the film does remarkably well. You sense the father’s anxiety when the mother lays out debt-inducing plans to try out an unproven experiment. You can sense the mother’s doubt when they finally travel to India. You feel heavier on the heart every time the child, Lucca, has a seizure event.
Lucca’s World proves that, if anything, the situation endured by this family is impossible. There is no consensus on the right decision. Many decisions, weighted by emotions and events, lead to the right care for your child at the time.
Lucca’s World also delves into the bureaucracy of medical science and technology. The Netflix film emphasizes the red tape, wealth, and governance that come with advancing medicines and treatments. Honestly, it astounds me that the pandemic led to the scary escalation of unproven vaccines to billions, but technology like the machine presented in this film takes years, sometimes decades, to develop. It’s haunting, especially when Bárbara is exposed to this world and becomes wise to the many obstacles.
Bárbara Mori and Juan Pablo Medina play their respective roles incredibly well. They highlight a marriage of comfortable love and friendship but the strain of the task. The emotions resonate marvelously well, and I was often shaken by their endurance and spirit to keep fighting, no matter how hard it got.
As a last remark, it may be worth considering whether you are in the right mindset before watching Netflix’s Lucca’s World, especially if you are a parent who cares for a child with disabilities or a chronic illness. It may be triggering or provide a relevant perspective, affirming the best work you do.
